Originally posted in our August 2024 Top of Mind Newsletter.
This piece from the University of Michigan references and expands on a study that found entrepreneurship programs in impoverished regions are more successful when they showcase domestic or culturally relevant innovations rather than highlighting the world’s most successful entrepreneurs.
This aligns perfectly with ELI’s belief that unlocking entrepreneurial potential is best achieved by providing relatable social models to those we aim to help. If the examples we offer people trying to empower themselves through entrepreneurship look and act nothing like the audience, how can they see themselves in the same position? After all, if we cannot see it, we cannot be it.